Attached with the worthwhile history of Ayuthaya are the ancient yet of significant importance temples still in existence waiting to be explored. Among those treasure historical temples, Wat Phanan Choeng is one of the most visited.
If you want to learn about the history of the Kingdom of Thailand, join us in the journey to the hundred-year-old city of Ayutthaya with many historical events. Ayutthaya is the ancient capital of Thailand famous for the magnificent temples, Buddha statues and many historical sites. Attached with the worthwhile history of Ayuthaya are the ancient yet of significant importance temples still in existence waiting to be explored. Among those treasure historical temples, Wat Phanan Choeng is one of the most visited.
Wat Phanan Choeng
Located in the south of Ayutthaya, at the intersection of the Chaophraya and Pasak rivers, Wat Phanan Choeng is one of Ayutthaya's oldest temples. In the ancient capital of Ayutthaya, there are about 300 temples, large and small, partly retaining much ancient architecture, partly ruined by the war. Among them is the Wat Phanan Choeng temple built in 1324, 26 years before King U Thong reclaimed and founded the capital in Ayutthaya.
Wat Phanan Choeng
There is a legend about the appearance of this temple that, once upon a time, a Thai king named Phra Chao Sai Namphung offered to marry the daughter of the Chinese Emperor. With her consent, the girl came to this land on a boat. However, when she arrived, the King did not come out to greet her as he asked her to marry. Because she was so sad, the girl committed suicide. When the King returned and learned the news, he was very upset and set up this temple right at her resting place to show his grief for the girl. Up to today, it is still not clear who built the temple. However, it is believed that so many kings had been restoring and preserving the sacred construction.
The special thing about this temple is the giant Buddha statue sitting in the Subduing Mara position. This statue is made of bricks and mortar with a width of 14 meters and a height of 19 meters. For the Thai, this is the largest, oldest and most beautiful statue as they also call this statue "the venerable father".
Wat Phanen Choeng is crowded with worshipers
Wat Phanen Choeng is always crowded with Thai people who come to worship. They offer copper-yellow cloths, stick gold-foil pieces on Buddha statues to pray for happiness and prosperity for their lives and families. On the wall of the temple are many small Buddha statues, which are the devotion of the Buddhists as they donated an amount of about 500 Baht to place a Buddha image on the wall.
Wat Phanan Choeng entrance gate
Coming to the temple, tourists will have a chance to admire the spectacular construction skills of the Thai people in the past as well as getting to know more about the culture of this beautiful country. The best transportation to travel around Ayuthaya is by bike, motorbike or tuktuk.